"None but the Mali Mountains contain Sandalwood" is written in an ancient Buddhist scripture. We know this is not the case, but the essence produced by Santalum album (a member of the Santalaceae family) has captured the imagination of man for 4000 years. Sandalwood is the natural product par excellence: a scent so fine, so rich and yet with a fresh top note, so creamy sweet and so enduring that it has inspired generations of men and women to harvest its precious, sacred trunk in order to imbue products for personal and public use with its fine aroma.
Indeed Japanese temple incense is most often infused with the aroma of sandalwood in tandem with agarwood. Indian incense often is nothing but. From soap to shaving cream and from essence oil to fine fragrances, sandalwood is one of the most traditional and yet still popular "notes" in all of perfumery. As I bathe my skin with real Mysore sandalwood soap stockpiled a while ago, I can very well see why: the suds retain a smell that is beautifully nuanced, clean yet rich, midway between masculine and feminine, with a beautiful lingering effect on silky pyjamas and dressing gowns.
The production is time consuming and depends on maturity of the trees, length of distillation time and experience of the person distilling. Most time-honoured method of extraction of sandalwood oil has been hydro-distillation, lately phazed out by steam distillation and CO2 extraction (which is more realistic to the raw material of the wood, due to the reduction in heat processing)
The endangerement of natural Indian sandalwood, especially in the famous Mysore region of Karnataca and of Tamil Nadu where they're protected by state law, even as early as the 1980s, has had several adverse effects:
1) sandalwood oil is one of the most-often adulterated essential oils; 2) the cost of sandalwood oil is rising dramatically (about 25% per year); 3) due to the value of sandalwood oil, the trees are being illegally cut, leading to the waste of this precious resource as trees that are too young are cut, or trees are cut but the roots are left to rot (the roots are the most valuable part of the tree from which to extract the oil). Additionally, this illegal poaching has lead to several murders of forestry officials and other crimes indicative of the black market; 4) the resource is becoming scarce. The current production of sandalwood trees is not enough to meet the demand of consumers. The trees are difficult to propagate and must grow for at least 30 years to become suitable for harvesting. The forestry departments in India are regulating the amount of material that is cut and sold, but there are many demands for other use of the land – for example, cattle grazing, the need for wood to keep people employed, etc. [1]
This situation has required the gradual substitution of this precious ingredient in fine fragrance with synthetic varieties (gradually and to the rhythm of depletion of any given brand's inventory of raw materials), such as
isobornyl cyclohexanol. Some of them are quite costly in themselves and beautiful to smell, as evidenced below, possessing some of the beloved "creamy", milky facets of natural sandalwood. From a technical standpoint the natural consistutents of sandalwood comprise terpenes, terpenols and terpenals, i.e.terpenoid alcohols.
- Sandalwood-Smelling Synthetic Ingredients
Several sandalwood synthetics nowadays comprise part of a perfumer's palette for both their technical merits (they are capsule forms of the effect of an otherwise very dense and demanding essence that is amazingly complex in nature), as well as for their isolated facets that boost one aesthetic choice over others, according to said perfumer's mood. Sometimes they can even co-exist as in the case of Guerlain's
Samsara, the beautiful balance of natural and synthetic in one. Among those synthetic sandalwood notes,
Polysantol, a former Firmenich trademark, is quite popular thanks to its intense diffusion and realistic replication. Otherwise known as santol pentenol due to its structure it enters many a fragrance composition imparting herbal and almost tropical nuances with an animalic touch.
Beta santalol or technically (-)-(1'S,2'R,4'R)-(Z)-beta-santalol (interestingly its positive entaniomer is odourless) is also a nature identical typical sandalwood note. It's the reverse case for the enantiomers of
alpha Photosantol, the positive being strong and diffusive, the negative weak. Process producing sandalwood organoleptic substances from camphogenic aldehydes produce the prized
Firsantol, another Firmenich trademark and a favourite with perfumer and writer Arcadi Boix Camps.
Levosandol by Takasago introduces a sharper, more austere cedar note within the creamy sandalwood impression picture.
Ebanol [(1S,2'S,3'R)-Ebanol], a Givaudan trademark, on the other hand is noted for its potency. Symrise proposes its
Fleursandol which has a very strong, animalic-laced sandalwood note with floral elements surfacing. Other sandalwood substitutes present various unexpected facets, from the very clean with phenolic/guaiac notes on top and cashmeran notes at the finish like some enantiomers of
HomoPolysantol to the waxy, leathery of other enantiomers of the same ingredient. The quest for sandalwood substitutes is under way as we speak with several patents from Japanese companies under way and is only going to accelarate in the coming years, despite the illegal poaching in Mysore of immature trees or the import of sandalwood from other regions of the Far East.
- Other Sandalwood Varieties
But not all perfumers or all fragrances aim to merely replicate that classic Indian sandalwood scent: In
Le Labo's case in Santal 33 for instance they're quite clear on using
Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum), which is a different variety than Mysore sandalwood (
Santalum album): indeed the Australian variety is more pungent, sharper in its dryness, with less density, almost metallic in its fine smokiness, still compatible to scent of skin. Another sandalwood tree variant sometimes used for its essence oil is
Amyris balsamifera, or
West Indian sandalwood or simply
amyris: Though not a true sandalwood, it still bears the rich distinctive smell and is useful in soap production where the Indian variety would rocket the cost to stratospheric heights.
LIST OF FRAGRANCES WITH PROMINENT SANDALWOOD (in alphabetical order):
01 Nomad by Odin New York
1725 Casanova by Histoires de Parfums
Alain Delon pour Homme
Aramis by Aramis
Arsene Lupin Dandy by Guerlain
Arsene Lupin Voyou by Guerlain
Barbara Bui Le Parfum
Basala by Shiseido
Bel Ami by Hermes
Belle d'Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
Black Jeans by Versace
Bleu by Paul & Joe
Bleu de Chanel
Bois de Santal by Keiko Mecheri
Bois de Turquie by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier
Bois des Iles by Chanel
Boucheron femme by Boucheron
Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder
Bulgari Black by Bvlgari
Burberry for Men
By Man by D&G
Cannabis Santal by Fresh
Cefiro by Floris
Chaos by Donna Karan
Chinatown by Bond no.9
Classic 1920 by Bois 1920
Comme des Garcons by Comme des Garcons
Contradiction for Men by Calvin Klein
Dolce Vita by Dior
Eau de Monsieur by Annick Goutal
Eau de Sandalwood by Le Jardin Retrouve
Eau de Santal Extreme by Floris
Egoiste by Chanel
Fahrenheit by Dior
Fete d'Hiver by Ayala Moriel
Ginger Essence by Origins
Hasu-no Hana by Grossmith
Idole de Lubin
Jazz by Yves Saint Laurent
Le Male by J.P.Gaultier
Le Roi Santal by Comptoir Sud Pacifique
Les Saisons: Automne by Van Cleef & Arpels
Loulou by Cacharel
Macassar by Rochas
Magical Moon by Hanae Mori
Maharadjah by Patricia de Nicolai
Mahora by Guerlain
No.1 for women by Clive Christian
Pleasures Sandalwood Amber Splash by Estee Lauder
Samsara by Guerlain
Sandalwood by Elizabeth Arden Sandalwood by Pacifica
Sandalo by Lorenzo Villoresi
Santal by L'Artisan Parfumeur
Santal by Roger & Gallet
Santal 33 by Le Labo
Santal blanc by Serge Lutens
Santal de Mysore by Serge Lutens
Santal Imperial by Creed
Santal Noble by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier
Santalum by Profumum
Tam Dao by Diptyque
Ref: Christian Chapuis, In the Quest for a Virtual Pseudo Receptor for Sandalwood-Like Odorants, Part I, Chemistry & Biodiversity, Volume 1, Issue 7, July 2004 [1] Eden botanicals
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Indeed Japanese temple incense is most often infused with the aroma of sandalwood in tandem with agarwood. Indian incense often is nothing but. From soap to shaving cream and from essence oil to fine fragrances, sandalwood is one of the most traditional and yet still popular "notes" in all of perfumery. As I bathe my skin with real Mysore sandalwood soap stockpiled a while ago, I can very well see why: the suds retain a smell that is beautifully nuanced, clean yet rich, midway between masculine and feminine, with a beautiful lingering effect on silky pyjamas and dressing gowns.
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20 comments:
Fascinating and informative article about one of my (and my husband's) favorite perfume notes. Thanks for the read!
Great article! I am so amazed that of all the fragrances listed at the end, the only ones I have ever owned are Lou Lou and Samsara, both of which I never liked! Oh, but there is Bulgari Black which I do love. Clearly, I need to try some more sandalwood perfumes.
Yes - great post! I love sandalwood scents and will have to check out more from this list. So, I'm wondering: if a perfume that's just been made in recent years (example: Bois de Santal by Keiko Mecheri) specifically lists Mysore sandalwood as a note, should I assume most likely they mean "the idea of mysore sandalwood" rather than it being actually an ingredient in the perfume? It's fine with me if it's just sandalwood-esque, but as a newbie I'm thinking that perfume notes can't be interpreted the same way as reading the back of a food package for ingredients, is that right?
What an interesting article -- thank you. I especially appreciated your explaining the issue of endangered resources -- as usual, your article is so balanced and thoughtful.
On a dork note: the "ancient Buddhist text" you reference is the Mo-ho Chih-kuan, composed by Chih-i almost 1,000 years after the advent of Buddhism. oO maybe not so "ancient." But whatever.
Anyhow, thank you for such a fascinating read.
Thanks for the informative post, and the list of sandalwood-heavy fragrances, some of which I adore.
I would add SSS Champagne de Bois (if you haven't smelled it yet, you really must, it's both a joy and a bargain) and possibly my vintage Arpege parfum, which is luxuriantly sandalwoody.
I find that I rather like the Australian version as well, though it's brighter and less creamy.
Great read, thank you. I notice that the prices for sandalwood (Santalum album) chips, pieces etc in Japan just shoot up by around 30%-40% in the last two weeks. Same with aloeswoods/kyaras. Which means stocks are getting lower and raw materials harder to come by. This will, of course, drive up the prices of incense and ouds across the board.
-Ross
Stelma,
down down the rabbit hole, I say!
Sandalwood is such a great, classic "note" there's bound to be things to like. Black is a vanillic rubber sandalwood. A bit quirky, but not miles off the feel of the wood.
30 Roses,
thank you very much for commenting!
Indeed, it's such a delectable note, isn't it? Sharing this like with your husband is very romantic, as it's such a cozy, snuggly, soft scent.
Jess,
excellent observation!
Yes, I think given "notes" are not necessarily ingredients (indeed in the vast majority of cases they're not) and there is no regulatory body to insist that they should be, barring the listing of potential allergens (which is a different thing and a huge can of worms to open; check out my IFRA articles for that)
I think unless someone is getting poached Mysore sandalwood in some way, it's safe to assume it's a synthetic variable.
Anon,
thank you for the compliment, glad you liked it, and thanks for the specification on the word use. I might have carried myself away, that won't be the first time. Old is not the same as ancient, true! I will edit it into "old".
Muse,
you're welcome, there's something for everyone, I guess in the sandal realm :-)
Yup, good suggestions! How did Arpege escape me?
Ross,
thanks for stopping by and for mentioning that issue. It's been long since I discussed prices with a perfumer and I have no doubt you're right. It had to come, but wow, in 2 weeks such a rise, phew!
Kyaras is much more expensive than the average perfume user is used to, so its inclusion in fine fragrance at such a pressing rhythm is at the very least...let's say...ahem...suspicious.
Thanks for responding and enlightening me! :)
I would add Diptyque Tam Dao to that great list :)
I love sandalwood!
Bois des iles - my new obssession - to add to the vanilla kick.....
it's just a wonderful sandalwood.
Jess,
a pleasure! I always try to respond to all comments/questions. It's common author's courtesy to people who spend their free time reading. So thank you for asking.
M,
who could disagree? I find it pure class. A very masterful scent, especially in the extrait de parfum form.
Isa,
how on earth could I manage to omit that??? Adding it right now! Thank you!!! *smacks rusty brain, scattered after a lovely afternoon break*
Thanks for this post.
Just a couple of questions:
- What can you tell us about Javanol and Sandalmysore Core?
- Could you write a few lines in response to the claim that's often made about sandalwood being a very elusive note, constantly flitting in and out of 'detection range'.
Please add Sandalo by Lorenzo Villoresi to your list of Sandalwood prominent perfumes.
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